Motor-powered see-saw



April 15, 1958 A. B. HAWES MOTOR-POWERED SEE-SAW 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 7, 1955 INVENTOR.

ALAN B HAWES ATTORNEYS April 15, 1958 A. B. HAWES MOTOR-POWERED SEE-SAW 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 7, 1955 INVENTOR.

ALAN 5. HAWES syzawazfim v AT TO EN EYS United States Patent MOTOR-POWERED SEE-SAW Alan Bruce Hawes, Atlanta, Ga.

Application October 7, 1955, Serial No. 539,125

1 Claim. (Cl. 272-54) This invention relates to amusement devices for children of the so-called kiddie ride type and more particularly has reference to a device of this type which is adapted to be coin controlled, and which provides a see-saw ride for a single child, for a given period of time, the length of which is predetermined by an appropriate setting of the coin-operated motor control mechanism.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a device of the nature referred to which can be set up in stores,amusement parks, and other locations, to provide a childs amusement ride occupying a minimum amount of space and calculated, by reason of the functional characteristics thereof and the attractiveness of its construction, to create a maximum amount of interest and amusement so far as the children riding the same are concerned.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a device of the nature referred to wherein a see-saw will be operated by a driving linkage adapted to translate rotary motion of the shaft of the drive motor into oscillating motion of a see-saw board, in a simple, novel, and fully effective manner.

Another object is to so form the see-saw board as to permit a child to be seated at one end thereof, with a fanciful figure being seated at the other end of the board, to provide a companion, so to speak, for the child riding upon the see-saw.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an amusement device formed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough in which the dotted and full lines show different positions of the rider support board;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view on line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device includes an elongated, rectangular, open-bottom housing or cabinet generally designated including a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending support bars 12 secured to the lower edges of upstanding side walls 14. The side walls 14 are rigid at their ends with end walls 16, and integral or otherwise made rigid with the upper edges of the side and end walls is a horizontally disposed top wall 18.

Medially between its ends, cabinet 10 includes an upwardly projecting, tapering extension 22, in the upper end of which is formed a recess 24 extending longitudinally of the housing. The intermediate portion of a rider support board 26 projects through the recess.

Providing a stationary base for the motor and driving linkage of the device are base support members 28, 30,

on DU 32 fixedly secured within the housing at one end thereof, and supported upon said members is a horizontal, elongated base plate 34 (see Figure 3) extending approximately half the width of the housing or cabinet 10.

An electric motor 36 mounted upon one end of base plate 34 has a drive pulley 38 secured to the shaft thereof, and trained about said drive pulley is a drive belt 40, passing about a larger pulley 42, mounted upon the input shaft of a reducing gear mechanism 44. Secured to the output shaft 46 of mechanism 44 is a crank arm 48, and pivotally connected to the outer end of the crank arm is a push rod or pitman 50, pivotally connected at its outer end, by means of a pin 52, between fork arms 54 rigidly provided upon the lower end of V-shaped arm 56 formed with upwardly divergent arm members 58. Arm members 58, at their upper ends, are provided with outwardly directed flange elements 59 bolted or otherwise fixedly secured to the midlength portion or" the board 26.

Medially between its opposite ends, the board 26 is pivotally supported for rocking movement about an axis normal to the length of the board, upon the side walls of the cabinet extension 22. To this end, a cross bar 60 has its ends journalled in pillow block bearings 62 of the flange type, mounted upon support plates 64 fixedly secured to the inner surfaces of the side walls of the cabinet extension 22. Medially between its ends, the bar 6% is clampably engaged against the underside of the board 26 by means of a clamp member 66 attached to the board 26.

At one end of the board 26 there is provided a seat for a child. The seat includes a curved seat back 68 mounted upon the upper end of a substantially vertically disposed bar 76, the lower end of which is formed with a laterally, inwardly extending projection fixedly secured to the adjacent extremity of board 26. Forwardly of the seat back, a handle is provided for the child, including a standard 72 integral or otherwise made rigid at its upper end with a cross bar 74, and having at its lower end a flange 76 attached to board 26.

At the other end of the board 26 there is provided a grotesque or fanciful figure 78 which, in the illustrated example, is in the shape of a clown, though said figure could be otherwise fashioned, if desired. The figure 78 is seated upon the board in the same manner as would be a companion for the riding child, and hence, said figure has its hands seemingly grasping a handle 80 similar to that which is grasped by the riding child.

At one side of the cabinet, there is mounted upon a cabinet extension 22 a coin box 82. It will be understood that the coin box is wholly conventional per se, and said box is adapted to control operation of the motor 36, permitting operation of the motor for a predetermined period of time following insertion of a proper coin in the slot provided upon the box.

In use of the device, whenever the motor is permitted to operate by insertion of a coin in the mechanism 82, rotation of the shaft in the motor will effect a push-pull action on the lower ends of the depending arm 56, responsive to reciprocating motion of the pitman or push rod 50, said reciprocating motion deriving from the motion translating arrangement wherein the crank arm 48 is rotated by the output shaft of the ear reducer mechanism and is pivotally connected to the push rod.

When the arm 56 is swung backwardly and forward ly within the extension 22, it will, by reason of its fixed connection to board 26 at opposite sides of the pivot axis 60 of said board, produce oscillating motion of the board about said pivot axis, so that the board rocks in the manner of a see-saw or teeter board, thus affording amusement for the child seated at one end thereof. The amusement is heightened, of course, by the provision of .the seated figure 78 at the other end of the board, pro- 3 Viding a companion for the child during the period of the ride.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not neces sarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof de scribed above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be neces sarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intened to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A motor driven, coin-controlled seesaw for carrying a single human rider, comprising: a horizontally elongated housing including vertical side walls and vertical end walls connected between the respective ends of the side walls, and a horizontally disposed top Wall rigid with the upper edges of the side and end walls, said housing including medially between opposite ends thereof an upwardly projecting, tapering extension having in its upper end a recess extending longitudinally of the housing; an elongated rider support board having an intermediate portion projecting through said recess, the opposite ends of said rider support board being disposed above said top wall adjacent the respective end walls of the housing; a motor support base stationarily mounted Within the housing adjacent one end thereof; a motor mounted upon said base; a drive pulley secured to the shaft of said motor; a drive belt trained about said drive pulley; a reducing gear mechanism mounted upon said base and operatively driven by said belt, said mechanism including an output shaft; a crank arm secured to said output shaft; a pitman pivotally connected at one end to said crank arm at a location spaced radially from the output shaft; a long arm extending downwardly within said extension of the housing, said pitman being pivotally connected to the lower end of said arm, said arm at its upper end being rockably supported within said longitudinal recess of the extension for oscillation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the extension near the upper end thereof within the recess, said upper end of the arm being fixedly secured to the intermediate portion of the rider support board for conjoint oscillation of the rider support board and arm on the housing; a fanciful figure mounted upon one end of the board and simulating a rider, providing for a normal imablance of the board eliminated by seating of a rider upon the opposite end of the board; and a coin box mounted upon the side wall of said extension, for controlling operation of said motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 144,892 Dean Nov. 25, 1873 826,682 Morgan July 24, 1906 834,140 Kingsbury Oct. 23, 1906 968,756 Evans Aug. 30, 1910 1,939,927 Shaffer Dec. 19, 1933 

